Off the Record With political editor PAUL FRANCIS

Public consultations don’t often give councils the answers they would like and the views of those who respond can make for awkward reading.

Take Kent County Council’s invitation for views on its draft budget. On the plus side, there was a record number of respondents - 1,717 compared to about 900 last year.

Among the questions asked of those who did take part was what, if they did not support an increase in the council tax, the council should spend less money on.

Top of the suggestions was councillors’ allowances - perhaps a reflection of the well-publicised row over the 15% increase that members voted for in 2017. Next was reducing executive pay for senior officials and then consultants.

The report rather underplayed these findings, noting: “The suggestions received from respondents about what could be reduced, removed or charged for were varied... and would deliver relatively small amounts of savings compared with KCC’S total revenue spending, and would not be able to close the budget gap we are facing for 2019-20.”

Kent does appear to have a canny electorate. ngiven that it is one of the most popular schemes the county council runs, the proposal to increase the cost of the Young Person’s Travel Card by £60 to £350 - an increase of 20% - seems rather harsh given that it is ten times the rate of inflation. And it’s 5% more than the 15% increase in allowances members awarded themselves in 2017.

nthe Conservatives are preparing for the forthcoming council elections and appear to be optimistic over their prospects - slightly unusually, given the conventional wisdom that voters tend to use local ballots to give the party in government a kicking.

Thanet is shaping up to be a key battleground. The Tories have roped in the experienced election agent Andrew Kennedy - who has headed seven successful Parliamentary campaigns and is seen as a top election strategist - to organise the party’s campaign. Something of an election guru, he was Craig Mackinlay’s agent when the South Thanet MP stood as the party’s crime commissioner candidate. Perhaps a firm hand on the tiller is not such a bad idea.

nfor updates and analysis on the latest political news in Kent, follow Paul on Twitter @Paulonpolitics.